Math time

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

Nice job crunching the numbers; it looks like British muskets should win, but in practice I've experienced the opposite. In several 1v1 games I have elected the double rax musket spam with Age 2 musket upgrade cards against Japan. In each case he defended with ashis and handedly whipped my muskets, even when upgraded. Their speed is a factor, plus the 15% attack increase card they get. And of course--as you mentioned--they get the consulate and wonder boosts, too.

I'm the first to admit that my micro could improve, and I thought the same thing you did about British muskets: They are cheaper and seem to be a more efficient buy than the ashi. Still, those buggers always seem to pwn! They crucify my poor German xbows, too, unless I obsessively micro and use things like retreat-attack-move.

You might have figured out that I don't like Japan too much :-P Ashis are more expensive, but with an econ that doesn't require much risk to villagers, it is easy for Japan to get the resources they need for an ashi spam, especially in practical game terms, when the first battle is key.